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Wednesday, April 24, 2013

A to Z April Challenge: U is for Ursula

This is Day 21 of the A to Z April Challenge. My theme is women with unusual names although
I must cheat now and then or I’ll have a name and no story.

is for Ursula Clarissa Boyd. My half-second cousin twice removed was the
daughter of William Preston Boyd (a.k.a. William H. Jollett) and Hattie Echols
Boyd. She was born March 25, 1887 in
Giles County, Virginia. In 1909, she
married John Arthur Hebb in Monroe County, West Virginia.

They lived most of their married life in Beckley, West
Virginia, where Hebb was an electrician for a coal mine. They raised five sons, most of whom also
became coal miners.

The 1940 census for Beckley, West Virginia recorded that “Ersie”
had taken back her Boyd surname, suggesting she was divorced. She was earning a living as a laundress and
her sons were still with her. John
Arthur Hebb, meanwhile, had a new family:
a much younger wife and six children, the oldest of whom was 12.

Interesting.
Why? Because John Arthur was still
head of household with “Ersie” and the boys in 1930. (Doing the math….) Ever in search of the dirt, I then checked for
the 12-year old in the 1930 census to see where she was. What a surprise: just 11 miles away in Slab Fork, that frisky
J.A. Hebb was head of household for his young wife and 2 children too. Was he leading a double life?

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About Me

My name is Wendy. About twenty years ago, I helped my mother research the Jolletts. Since retiring from teaching, I have expanded my research which I share here. When I’m not looking for my own family, I index for FamilySearch and the Greene County Historical Society.
Welcome to Jollett Etc. Please leave a comment to let me know you were here. If you have more information or believe we are related, EMAIL ME at wendymath at cox dot net